The Pain Within
by Amara Corbin
Summary: A demon without a purpose to her life, and Sesshomaru, whose past is about to catch up with him. Will these two be able to recognize one another after so long apart and how willing will they be to overcome the obstacles surrounding them?
1. The Past and the Present

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or concepts relating to Inuyasha and acknowledge as much. This story was written for the pure joy, and for no other reason. Please enjoy.

Our story is not about Inuyasha as such. It is about Sesshomaru and it is about the demon – Lady Sakuto and the affect she has upon the world. (Sesshomaru x OC)

_**The Pain Within**_

**Chapter One: The Past and the Present.**

The Lady Sakuto, a dog demon who's past is shaded in grey. For fifty years she has wandered, hiding from the world she was once a part of. So many years she has been alone, so many times she has longed for the past, unable to move on. And yet here she is, standing beneath a crescent moon while looking out over a large, calm lake. Her bright sapphire eyes glancing around the shadows as she brushed a piece of silver hair from her face. She continued to reminisce as she gently ran her fingers over her single crimson stripe on each cheek and traced the ebony crescent moon on her forehead. She smiled sadly to herself as she recalled the days she spent with her family, the second most powerful dog demon clan in the West, and probably the world. She shivered slightly, fighting to suppress the nightmares that had haunted her mind since the dreadful night that managed to destroy everything that was ever held dear to her.

The sound of hundreds of footfalls suddenly met her ears as she snapped from her thoughts. Branches snapped and voices mumbled, as she glanced around for escape. Their scents were human, but she did not wish to be seen regardless. As they continued to approach, she resorted to her last plan. With a shiver, her image flickered as she called upon her powers. Just as the men burst through the line of trees, she looked up with sapphire eyes and flicked her now short raven hair from her eyes.

"What is this? Trying to escape? The men of your village have been called for the army of the Western Lord for a reason! Deserters will be hunted down and killed by the Lord himself! So get your ass back in line _now_!" The man hissed at her, roughly grabbing her arm and pushing her into line with the other men.

Sometimes it pays to be a shape shifter, but not this time.

The Lady Sakuto, last surviving member of her clan and only remaining dog demon who also possesses the power to shape shift. Yet as she had shifted into the form of a human male, she was seriously questioning her choice of body. She had shifted to that of a mortal woman once before and was nearly raped, and ever since she had found it easier to pretend to be a mortal man. Yet as she was marched along with the other thirty or so men from a nearby village to the Lord of the Western lands, her mind was wandering the young demon Lord she had known so many years ago. Lord Sesshomaru, she had not seen him in many years, not since the night her family had been slaughtered. Quickly she pushed the images from her mind as she turned her attention to the men around her, all downcast as they made their way towards the great demon lord's castle. Slowly a sly smile crept onto her lips as she thought of seeing him again, thought of the mischief she could get up to once more.

Sakuto was never necessarily close to Sesshomaru, but they were family friends since they were young, and had known each other for many hundreds of years. Their relationship was varied, sometimes the two wouldn't speak for years, and at other times they were hardly ever apart. No one was too sure what ever happened to the mysterious Lady Sakuto the night her family was slaughtered. No one was even sure if she survived or not. Many searched for her, but none ever found her. It isn't exactly easy to find a shape shifter, after all. Few believed she was still alive, preferring to think that she had been kidnapped, tortured or even killed. Yet Sakuto had survived, and with her mind shattered and he sanity hanging by a thread, Sakuto vanished into the shadows of the world, taking on human forms as she saw fit in order to survive. Gradually her strength and courage was once again restored, and she ventured further out into the world. Yet she was without a purpose, without a hope to live from, so as this opportunity to visit Lord Sesshomaru arose, she couldn't help but take advantage of it.

That was the first Chapter, I know it wasn't very long, but they will only get longer from here. Think of this one more as an introduction, with the story starting officially in the next chapter.

_I have received great acclaim for this story on other websites and hope it will be just as appreciated here. Thank you for reading._


	2. Defend Yourself

_Please remember that Sakuto is a shape shifter currently in the form of a mortal man. If you forget this, then the story could get a little confusing. Please enjoy_

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_**The Pain Within**_

**Chapter Two: Defend Yourself**

Sakuto dragged herself along with the rest of the mortal men for two days and nights with minimal rest stops, all the while continually hounded by two men who were supposedly Sesshomaru's 'officers'. It wasn't until the third morning, just as the sun was lazily rising over the hills that the turrets of a familiar castle came into view. Before she knew it she was being shuffled and pushed into barracks that were within sight of the castle itself. The grounds were huge, and it was obvious that Sesshomaru trained his troops here; it was clear he liked them close at hand so he could see how they were going.

Sakuto reminisced over how cold and distant Sesshomaru had always seemed, clearly concerned over the treatment she would receive. She recalled how his hatred for humans and half bloods blossomed, regardless of the irony that his brother was a half-blood. She had always thought that his hatred was misdirected, but then she had never had any problems with half bloods. However, when it came to humans, Sakuto found them annoying, insolent fools. Their obvious distrust and even violent acts towards her only made matters worse, as she was often unable to control her temper when referred to as a 'damn demon'. Human reactions to demons seemed, to her, to only consist of two choices, to kill it, or to run in fear. The only reason Sakuto liked to shape shift into a human was because they were more willing to help one of their own kind. Other demons didn't care much for each other, or were too proud, either way. The few times she had needed help, for what ever the reasons, she had transformed into a human. They also had significantly better food than anything she was capable of. Yet she found that their fighting styles were uncoordinated and ineffective, only the demon slayers were impressive warriors.

As she arrived at the castle she had not seen for so many years, she could not help but search the scents in the air for Sesshomaru's. The excitement was building inside of her, and yet so was her apprehension.

She and the rest of the men were allowed to rest for a short period in the barracks while the few women that had been taken from the village as well were hustled away towards the castle. Even in her male form, Sakuto found herself standing out from the other men, and she had a horrid feeling that Sesshomaru would know straight away that she was no mortal man. Of the twenty men that had arrived with her, Sakuto appeared to be one of the youngest, and by far the fittest. Hesitantly she lay down on one of the bunks, aware of the mutterings of the men around her as they nervously sorted themselves. Silence gradually fell over the large, wooden room as their exhaustion finally overcame their apprehension. Finally Sakuto let her own fears slip away as sleep gradually took her, her heart beating in rhythm to the snoring of the man beside her.

Only a few hours later, a gong echoed through the barrack, rousing the men from their restless sleep. Hazily, Sakuto found herself in line with the other men outside, in the shadow of the castle as a rather fragile looking man paced back and forth, studying each person individually with his cloudy turquoise eyes. His short, messy ebony hair continually fell in his eyes as he continued down the line, occasionally pausing to brush the lose strands behind his ears. He was lean and fairly tall, similar to Sakuto's own build in her male form. In fact, the two were very similar, except that the instructor appeared to have more muscle in his arms. Clearly he would be stronger than he seemed. Even so, this did not necessarily mean he was the more skilled. Sakuto found herself smirking at the thought of him falling on his face with a sword through his back, a smirk he was quick to notice. Without any warning, he grabbed the front of her shirt and pulled her from the line. She stumbled forward, caught off-guard before narrowing her eyes dangerously. She watched silently as he threw a sword at her, which she caught easily. He drew his own and Sakuto followed, raising an eyebrow at the sly smile that lit his eyes.

"Come, let us see how long it takes for me to wipe that smirk from your face!" He laughed coldly, his eyes hardening. Sakuto quickly drew her sword in response, chewing on her lip to keep her demon strength in check.

"Your arrogance will be your downfall."

The man slowly began to circle her, his eyes never leaving hers. Sakuto was no amateur in combat and waited until the muscles in his arm bunched, signaling his preparation to attack. He was faster than she had anticipated, yet even so, she managed to block the attack aimed for her arm. The clang of steel on steel rang clearly through the air, cutting through the building tension between the two fighters. The man quickly pulled back and aimed another blow for her head, which she managed to dodge with apparent ease, clearly infuriating him. He spun around, cutting off her attempt to get behind him and brought his sword towards on her head. With one hand, Sakuto blocked his attack, fighting to push his sword back. Teeth were clenched as he quickly broke away, trying to hide his surprise at the strength of the young man before him. Yet as Sakuto continued to smirk, he felt his anger and frustration rise. Before he could help himself, he aimed blow after blow at her, only to have each attack bounce off her sword. The boy's ease with a sword was astounding, and without thinking properly, he leaped forward in an attempt to drive the sword straight through him. Anticipating his move, Sakuto leaped to the side and tripped him. He fell hard, slightly stunned, before feeling Sakuto's foot on his back and the cool scrap of her sword against his throat.

"You were saying?" She sneered before releasing him and stepping back. He quickly rolled over and sat up, using his sword for support. She watched curiously as his eyes focused on something behind her. Quickly his expression changed from awe to nervous. Worried it was a trick, Sakuto refused to turn around, until the blood had completely drained from the man's face, indicating his fear was genuine. Allowing her curiosity to get the better of her, she spun around, sword at the ready.

Amber eyes glared down on her and she felt herself pale at the emptiness of them. Lord Sesshomaru seemed so void of all emotion as he slowly raised an eyebrow, refusing to remove his hard gaze from hers. Sakuto's heart raced nervously as she inhaled sharply, her breath caught in her throat. His gaze seemed to be searching for something, yet as he studied her sapphire eyes, she found no spark of recognition, no sign that he was suspicious of her identity. He was merely gazing down on a mortal man who had just made a fool of one of his training officers. Time seemed to stand still before Sesshomaru's gaze finally moved beyond her, to the man lying on the grass behind her. With relief, Sakuto allowed her eyes to drop to the ground, desperate to calm the racing of her heartbeat.

"Am I correct to assume that this… new recruit… has just beaten you, Jasuto?" He asked coolly, his voice dripping with distaste. Sakuto's eyes hardened slightly as she glared up at him in annoyance.

"Defend yourself, boy." He demanded, no emotion in his tone as he drew one of his swords. Quickly Sakuto jumped back, readying herself for his attack. Their eyes remained locked as they began to circle one another.

Sakuto jumped forward, bringing her sword down over her head, yet Sesshomaru easily blocked this and with his demon speed, backhanded her, sending Sakuto flying. She landed hard on her back, ignoring the thin trail of blood that trickled from her nose as she quickly leaped to her feet once more. She muttered to herself, cursing for underestimating his strength. Sesshomaru was once more in front of her, watching patiently the way she leapt around him. She ducked and attacked, tastelessly thrusting her sword in his direction every now and then as she eyed his movements, searching for some kind of weakness. Yet much to her shock and annoyance, she just could not find one.

"Damn, he's good." She whispered under her breath as she felt her muscles starting to seize up. He was quickly wearing her down as she was forced to dodge his attacks, all the while cursing herself for falling into such an incriminating position. She chewed on her lip, nervous that if she became too exhausted, or injured, she would be unable to hold her form as a mortal male. If her body was to be put under a great physical strain, her shape shifting abilities would fade and she would change back into her original form. Sakuto was unsure of what Sesshomaru would do if he were to find out he was being fooled. She wasn't even sure if he would recognize her after so many years apart. To him, the Sakuto he used to know was probably dead. And as much as she longed for her old life, she knew it was never to be, and it was probably better for them both if she remained dead to Sesshomaru. With these thoughts running through her mind, Sakuto ducked as Sesshomaru swung at her before kicking him in the stomach. He staggered back slightly, obviously infuriated that a human had actually managed to hit him. His brow furrowed slightly as he stepped forward again, swinging down with great force. Unable to dodge his attack in time, Sakuto was forced to quickly block him. The force between the two swords was almost unbearable as Sakuto snarled, trying her hardest not only to hold Sesshomaru back, but also to keep her demon self restrained. Yet quickly her strength was being drained, and before she could break away, she found herself pushed down to her knees. Her arms began shaking with the strain, and she quickly resigned herself to the fact she would not be able to beat Sesshomaru in such a weak, mortal form. Over the years his physical strength had doubled, and the Sesshomaru she had known so many years ago was long gone.

He caught her in the chest with his foot, sending her sprawling to the ground. She closed her eyes as she felt the cold, sharp steel pushed against her neck. Sakuto was aware that Sesshomaru could quite easily slice her head off for her insolence, and a small part of her wished that he would. He had managed to beat her with very little effort and she was silently ashamed of herself. Without her demon skills she knew now that she would never be any match for a demon, especially one as strong as Sesshomaru. Sakuto made a quick promise to herself that if she were allowed to live, the next fight would be one Sesshomaru would never forget.

Sakuto slowly opened her eyes and found Sesshomaru watching her intently, almost curiously. Slowly he withdrew the sword from her throat and stepped back, allowing her to rise. He watched silently as she stumbled forward, slightly dizzy from the fight, before falling to her knees before him.

"I will bow to you as the superior fighter. But know this, I will not bow to you as my Lord and master." Sakuto whispered harshly, not really expecting Sesshomaru to hear. Before she could draw breath, Sakuto suddenly found herself thrown back against a tree, Sesshomaru's claws wrapped tightly around her throat. She gasped in surprise, feeling her vision blur slightly. Sesshomaru's eyes had shifted from the beautiful amber to a deadly crimson as his hard gaze bore straight through her.

"You _will_ bow before me, boy, I will make sure of it." He whispered viciously so only Sakuto would be able to hear him. Her eyes widened slightly as she struggled to maintain her mortal shape, fearing that if she lost consciousness, she would also lose her image.

Without warning, Sesshomaru quickly released her. She collapsed at the base of the tree as Sesshomaru turned around to leave. Sakuto sat up with a groan and rubbed her throbbing neck.

"We will see about that." She snarled under her breath to Sesshomaru's retreating back. Yet she had to choke back a cry as he suddenly froze on the spot and turned back to her sharply.

"Oh damn." She swore as he took a step towards her again. Before she could move, Sesshomaru had backhanded her again, sending her flying into the trunk of a nearby tree. She hit it painfully hard and crumpled into a ball as the pain rapidly washed through her beaten mortal body. She groaned, rubbing her cheek, which was turning a bright red with his handprint before just managed to catch Sesshomaru's words,

"Let that be a lesson to you all. Do not cross me." He stated firmly before turning and vanishing into the line of trees.

Sakuto stared at the spot where he had just been for a moment longer, before the one Sesshomaru had referred to as Jasuto stepped before of her. She glanced up at him as he offered his hand. She hesitated for a moment, but took it, allowing him to pull her to her feet. Sakuto hung her head in shame and embarrassment as she averted her eyes.

"Do not worry too much, he treats everyone like that." He smiled. "If it makes you feel any better, no one I know, human or otherwise, has ever lasted as long in battle as you just did." Sakuto nodded numbly, a small smile in the corners of her lips. In a small way, she appreciated his words. She wasn't sure why he was suddenly being so nice, compared to his arrogance before, but shrugged and accepted it.

"What is your name?" He asked curiously as she leant against the tree for a moment, steadying herself.

"Makita, my name is Makita." She managed to mutter the first name that came into her head, the name of her cousin who had died when she was still a child. Jasuto nodded sharply and introduced himself.

"Your fighting skills are impressive."

"Do not give me undue credit, it was you who underestimated me." She sighed as she stepped back into line with the other men, who had begun talking and whispering amongst themselves.

"That is true, I did underestimate you, but your skills are still impressive."

"Compared to this lot, that would not surprise me." She smirked, jabbing a thumb at the men beside her.

"Just be careful, there is no need to anger the Lord any further. I do not want to know what you said, but it is better to keep your comments to yourself. He could easily kill you, and he has done so in the past." He smiled kindly before turning back to the rest of the group.

Sakuto drifted into her own thoughts as Jasuto challenged each man individually. None were capable of beating him, and she watched with a smirk as each underestimated Jasuto's strength because of how easily she appeared to beat him. The first was disarmed and lying on his back in merely seconds while the next few were just as pathetic. Overall, only a couple in the entire group managed to put up much of a fight, and Sakuto was the only one to actually beat Jasuto. She sighed to herself, having forgotten that she was meant to blend in with the other men, not stand out. It would be that latter that risked her true identity being revealed.

Once the final man was defeated, Jasuto motioned for all to have a break for lunch, but to be back within the hour. Hastily Sakuto snatched a small loaf of bread and nibbled it with disinterest as she wandered around the large training field. Other groups of men were also training, yet as large as it seemed, a huge part of Sesshomaru's army seemed to be missing. She shrugged it off, suspecting there was probably some kind of war happening up North, as there usually was. She continued wandering around the edge of the forest and managed to catch sight of a huge lake glistening in the sunlight. She snuck through the trees, making her way towards it and watched the midday sun sparkling off its smooth surface. Sakuto sighed contentedly and allowed her head to fall back as she leant against a tree.

She inhaled deeply, desperate for the fresh air in her lungs, yet the scent that caught her nose made her heart race. Another demon was nearby, and not just any demon. Lord Sesshomaru's scent was strong and very close. She shuddered, aware of his eyes on her. She managed to calm herself again, aware that if a mortal showed signs of sensing a demon, he would probably kill her. With her eyes closed and breathing steady, she managed to focus on his scent, trying to pick out exactly where he was so she would be able to avoid him. Yet she had to choke back a cry as she realized he was sitting right above her, in the tree she was leaning against. Feeling eyes on her, she could not help but opened her own to find two amber orbs staring straight at her. She cried out and jumped away from the tree in surprise; however, in her haste she managed to overstep. She waved her arms madly before finally losing her balance and falling back into the lake. She splashed frantically for a moment before finally hooking her fingers on the grass beside the lake. With difficultly she managed to pull herself out and collapsed on her back, staring up at the crystal clear blue sky. She took a deep breath, yet Sesshomaru had moved further back into the forest, out of her line of sight. She knew he was still watching as she rose and shook herself off before quickly scanning the line of trees for any sign of movement. In pure rage, Sakuto brushed the dripping ebony strands from her face with her calloused hands before storming back through the trees, her clothing still dripping when she arrived back in the field.

Jasuto caught sight of her first as she dropped underneath a tree, her arms folded and her hair and clothing-soaking wet. He had to fight back his laughter as he made his way over to you. The other men soon followed and were quick to break into fits of laughter. She only glared at them as Jasuto stood before her, trying to hide the smile on his face. A cool breeze blew across the field, which sent shivers down her spine. The men finally managed to get their laughter under control and had lined up again, smirks still on their faces as they eyed her. Yet Sakuto remained under the tree, refusing to move as Jasuto instructed them to complete ten laps of the field. As they stretched and prepared themselves, Jasuto turned to her,

"So what happened?" He asked with a smirk, trying to hold back his laughter. "Go for a bit of a swim, did you?" She bit her tongue, promising herself that she would get her revenge on Sesshomaru.

"Doesn't matter." She snarled as she jumped to her feet and began stretching with the rest of the men.

Everyone set off, each trying to outrun the other, but Sakuto quickly over took them all. Her mind was also racing with thoughts and plans on how to get her revenge. She didn't even realize that she managed to lap the others twice before she finished, momentarily forgetting to hide her demon strength. She was still preoccupied with her plans even when she collapsed in the shade, her eyes glistening with malice.

_"Soon Sesshomaru, soon."_

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_I just want to quickly note that Sakuto may seem a little Mary-Sue right now, but please keep in mind she is a demon in a mortal form, it is only natural that she is stronger and generally 'better' than the mortal men she is with. She doesn't stay this way forever, so please bear with me._


	3. Sweet Revenge

_**The Pain Within**_

**Chapter Three: Sweet Revenge**

Two months had passed surprisingly quickly since Sakuto was first dragged into the Western Lord's army. She had managed to fall into a typical routine, which composed of sleeping, eating and training. It is grueling and tiresome work, but she could tell her mortal skills were dramatically improving. She knew she had nothing better to do with her time anyway, and focused on the next time she would have to face Sesshomaru in battle, imagining his expression when he found himself beaten by a human.

Secretly she knew she was the best-supposed human in Sesshomaru's army and most had come to respect her for her seemingly amazing skills, even the older soldiers and the trainers and instructors. Yet she never spoke a word. Of the two months she had been here, she had said a total of two sentences since the incident with Sesshomaru. She preferred to keep to herself, quietly planning her revenge on the demon lord who seemed only to care for humiliating his human servants. She had seen very little of Sesshomaru during the passing months, except when he wandered the fields, watching his men train, criticizing or glaring. He seemed to remain silent most of the time, merely observing others with his emotionless amber gaze, which could freeze even the strongest of men. Even Sakuto found herself shivering nervously whenever she felt his eyes brush over her. He was remarkably unpredictable if he was angered, often killing someone without a second thought when on other days he would merely backhand them.

With each passing day, Sakuto found her life expectancy dramatically decreasing, made worse on the days she found Sesshomaru's claws wrapped tightly around her neck when she refused to bow to him. For some reason, her mere presence seemed to irritate him. Sakuto could not understand it, she had always been an expert at irritating him back when she used to know him, but now that she wasn't even trying, he would growl under his breath at the sight of her. Each time it happened, she couldn't help but get the feeling that he could see straight through her masquerade.

It had been a surprisingly warm afternoon when Sesshomaru had stalked onto the field, a murderous glint in his eyes as he had glanced around, clearly searching for someone. Sakuto and the other men had been down by the lake, swimming laps. Since Sakuto often woke early to swim in the morning, Jasuto would allow her to sit by the lake and rest in the shade. Yet on this day, she caught the scent of Sesshomaru rapidly approaching and quickly stripped and dived into the cool water. Jasuto raised an eyebrow curiously, but did not say a word as he watched her join the other men. Moments later Sakuto saw Sesshomaru break through the line of trees and ask something of Jasuto. He promptly nodded towards the water, his eyes quickly meeting hers. Sakuto did not need the hint to know she would be in trouble if Sesshomaru caught sight of her and promptly dived under the water. She quickly swam over to an outcropping of rocks where she hid until Sesshomaru's impatience clearly overtook his desire to find her and he left. Once she was sure he was gone, she hesitantly joined the others again.

Jasuto managed to pulled her aside once she climbed from the water to dry herself. "Lord Sesshomaru was looking for you." He whispered as she pulled her clothes back on. Sakuto raised an eyebrow in question.

"I have a feeling he wanted to take out some of his frustration." She nodded sharply at this and quickly melted into the group of men, careful to blend in. For the rest of the afternoon Sakuto had been very careful to avoid Sesshomaru at all costs. After dinner she heard that he had killed one of the older soldiers who had gotten in his way. Nervously she had swallowed and turned in for the night, thankful she had managed to survive another day.

Apart from such instances, Sakuto found life to be surprisingly peaceful, if not a little dull from the constant repetition. She chose not to befriend any of the humans, preferring to keep mostly to herself, with Jasuto being the only exception. Most of the other humans, although in awe of her, were mostly afraid of such skill, and found it wise to simply avoid her after seeing how capable she was with any weapon. She had the uncanny ability to master any weapon within a day. The very first arrow she ever fired had nearly hit Jasuto, who had been standing a few yards from the targets. After he had pulled the arrow from the tree he had been leaning against, he had stormed over to her, brutally adjusted her stance and hand positioning on the bow before retreating behind her. She had tried a second time and managed to hit the edge of the target. Five shots later, she could hit nothing but the center of the target.

Occasionally Sakuto managed to catch Sesshomaru's scent as he was lurking around the forest that bordered the fields. She had come to realize that he liked to position himself in particular trees so he could watch his army train. And it was always the same trees. She had grinned inwardly at this realization. It had been while sword training when Jasuto had sworn at her for brutally beating everyone again and threatened to sit her out while he trained the other men. Sakuto, or Makita, as they had grown to know her as, was clearly more advanced than the others, and Jasuto had informed her that he was considering sending her one of the other groups who were closer to her standards. She had given him a small smile when he told her this. It was a waste of time to be participating in this useless swordplay; she knew she was too advanced, and it was doing nothing for the moral of the other soldiers to be continually beaten by a younger, fitter man. Especially since this younger, fitter man was really a demon lady in disguise.

While she sat under the tree, watching the others getting beaten and abused by Jasuto, Sakuto carefully managed to sniff out where Sesshomaru was hiding. She found him sitting in a tree not too far from there. He always seemed to be in that tree, and always on the same branch. Sakuto couldn't help but smile as her plan slowly began forming. Sesshomaru always seemed to watch her group when they were working on their swordsmanship. Tomorrow, she decided, would be the day to get even with Sesshomaru. The day when the group spent the entire morning doing nothing but swordsmanship, since that was what they needed to work on the most, since none of them were capable of beating Jasuto, even after two months of work. However, Sakuto had been given a different agenda, which was to help train the others under Jasuto, before swimming and running laps for the remaining time. This suited Sakuto perfectly. Satisfied with her plan, she leant back against the tree, her thoughts wandering to the blade she had hidden nearby a few days ago.

Once the full moon was high overheard, Sakuto silently and swiftly crept out of the barracks, using her demon stealth to avoid waking anyone. Using the line of trees as cover, she slunk around in the shadows, making sure none from the castle could see her if they chanced a look out their windows at this time of night. Once Sakuto reached the tree she had in mind, she carefully sniffed the air, making sure everything was clear as she worked out exactly which branch Sesshomaru favored. The thickest branch, roughly half way up the trunk held his scent the strongest and she effortlessly leapt onto the branch once she had pulled the hidden sword out from its hiding place in the nearby bushes.

Sakuto set to work, hacking into the branch right near the trunk of the tree. It wasn't an easy job since the sword she had stolen was only a blunt training sword, but it was all she had managed to find short of breaking into the castle and searching around for something sharper. A smile flickered in the corners of her lips as she continued working, hearing the branch creak slightly under her weight. She continued carving into it until she was sure that one heavy jump onto it and it would break for sure. Gingerly she lowered herself to the ground, feeling the branch shake and creak some more at the shifting of body weight.

With a wide smirk, Sakuto made her way to the lake and quickly threw the sword in. This way if it were found, the water would have washed away her scent away. Quickly she stripped and jump into the freezing water to make sure the wood chips and shavings from the carvings were out of her hair and off her skin. It would only take a single flake of wood for Sesshomaru to be suspicious. She quickly shook her clothes out and dressed before creeping back around the fields, following the line of trees until she was back inside the barracks. She smiled to herself at the snoring of the men around her as she snuck back to her bunk and carefully lay back down. She turned over and slowly drifted off to sleep with a smirk on her lips, anticipating the coming day and the sight of Sesshomaru falling flat on his face lingering into her dreams.

'_That arrogant dog will regret the day he made Sakuto look the fool!'_

The following morning Sakuto was the first up, as usual, to go for her morning swim. Only this time, she could smell Sesshomaru nearby. Sakuto shivered at the thought of him approaching her when she was alone, especially if he was in a bad mood. She sighed, not in the mood to die at his hands until she had the chance to see the look on his face when he fell out of that tree. She grinned sadistically to herself as she continued her laps, aware that Sesshomaru was nearby, watching the entire time. She had no idea why, deciding he was either some kind of sick pervert, or that maybe he suspicious of her true identity. Sakuto couldn't help but shiver violently at the thought. She could think of no reason for Sesshomaru to suspect her of anything, not of cutting the tree, nor of lying about her identity. She believed she had been successful in masking her true image so far, even when he was choking her in fury at her disobedience. Yet even so, she could not help but feel that, whenever he looked to her, he could see straight through her mortal disguise. Thankfully, without any proof of this, he could do little about it. Maybe this was his reason for watching her, waiting for a sign, some form of evidence. The hairs on the back of her neck rose at the thought.

Sakuto eventually pulled herself from the water, drying off just as the suns rays hit the roof of the castle, barely visible over the line of trees. Slowly she made her way back through the forest, the smell rice slowly reaching her nose. She thankfully sped up, mainly because of her rumbling stomach, and also because of the scent that was rapidly approaching her. Her stomach growled loudly once more just as she broke into a jog, eager to reach the fields. Unfortunately, Sesshomaru sped up at the same time. Just before she broke through the line of trees onto the fields, Sesshomaru leapt to the treetops and managed to overtake her. In one swift movement he had dropped from the trees, landing directly in front of her.

She cried out in fright as she barely managed to stop before running straight into him. Nearly managing to trip over her own feet, Sakuto took a few stumbled steps backwards before collapsing against a nearby tree, a hand clutched to her pounding heart.

"Oh don't do that to me!" She gasped, trying to slow her ragged breathing.

"What were you doing?" He demanded, no emotion to his hard, amber eyes.

"Swimming laps, like I always do." She answered blankly, keeping her eyes on the ground. Sesshomaru stood before her, his arms folded as he regarded her. She could feel his rage rising and suddenly understood what he was waiting for. With a sneer, you raise an eyebrow, turning our sapphire gaze towards him.

"What can I do for you, _my lord_?" She ask, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She knew she would regret it. The thought confirmed as his hand collided with her face, sending her crashing to the ground. She moved her jaw from side to side, fearing for a moment he may have dislocated it.

"Do not use that tone with me, boy." He stated coolly before turning and vanishing into the trees. She snorted as she pulled herself to her feet. The entire scene seemed almost pointless, but Sakuto shrugged wearily, merely thankful that he had only struck her, and not gone further. Quickly she continued on to breakfast, even more anxious to see Sesshomaru fall flat on his face.

Sakuto growled to herself as she grabbed a bowlful of rice and scoffed it down. The side of her face was still burning as she rubbed it, willing the mark to leave her skin. Jasuto was quick to catch her eye before making his way over to her.

"What happened?" He asked, nodding to the mark.

"Stumbled across Lord Sesshomaru this morning." She muttered in reply.

"He's not in a good mood, I'll take it." He sighed as she shook her head, finishing the rest of her breakfast in one swallow.

Eagerly she jumped up and made her way out onto the field, dragging the training swords with her. She dumped them near Sesshomaru's tree as she began to shuffle through the weapons; throwing aside half of them until she came across one that stood apart from the rest. It had an elegant beauty to it, and was amazingly well balanced. She drew the blade from its sheath to study it carefully. It was polished and clean, unlike the rest of the swords, which were scuffed and dented, a true weapon, unlike the remaining scrap metal pieces. She stood, eyeing this new sword hungrily before quickly sheathing it again and tying it around her waist with her obi. The mortal men slowly drag themselves over, only to grab the first sword that caught their eye, oblivious to any of the technical details that differentiate a sword as a weapon, rather than a metal stick.

"Pathetic." She muttered, sensing Sesshomaru wandering nearby. She couldn't help but smirk as he began heading for his usual tree branch. The men began their workouts, preparing themselves for the grueling training just as Jasuto arrived. He quickly separated them into pairs, leaving her to be paired with himself. Sakuto sighed in frustration as, to her annoyance, Sesshomaru wandered right past the tree and vanished deeper into the forest. She found herself so distracted, searching for his scent, that Jasuto was screaming at her to pay attention. It wasn't until the sword landed directly on her hand, causing quite a nasty bruise, that she began to focus on defeating Jasuto. He had always been careful not to underestimate her skills like before, and proved to be quite a formidable partner. So much so, that Sakuto had a small level of respect for him, even though he was human.

Jasuto and Sakuto furiously fought, swords clashing and sweat running as the others quickly crowed around, eager to see which would be the first to fall this time. Sakuto was so deeply in concentration after ten minutes in mock battle, that she failed to pick up the scent of Sesshomaru, who was standing nearby, amber eyes watching emotionlessly. It was not until she leapt behind Jasuto, aiming a kick at his knees to knock him off balance, did her eyes meet with Sesshomaru's. In her surprise, she hadn't counted on Jasuto suddenly spinning around. She managed to catch herself, pulling away just in time as she sliced her sword across Jasuto's stomach, saving him from what could have been a fatal blow. The force may have been lessened, but the sword still did its damage. Jasuto's eyes cast down to the blood quickly soaking his torn clothing as he dropped his sword. You weren't sure if it was the shock, or the blood loss, but he seemed to pale considerably as you hurried to his side to check the wound.

"It is not too deep." She muttered more to herself, annoyed at her wavering concentration. With ease she started to tear the shirt from his body, using shreds of it to stem the flow of blood, which continued to leak from the wound.

A sudden loud snap and crash behind caught everyone's attention as they spun around in surprise. Sakuto's head snapped up in annoyance only to behold Sesshomaru lying face down in the dirt beneath his usual tree. He leaped up quickly and glared around, while dusting himself off. The men around were torn whether to laugh at the sight of the mighty demon falling from the tree, or cower in fear at the glare in his cold, amber eyes. Sakuto's eyes danced with laughter, and she knew that if he saw her face right, he'd know it had been her. His eyes flashed a dangerous red as he jumped forward, slowly eyeing everyone around him. She heard him growl and fear overtook Sakuto's sense of accomplishment as she turned her gaze back to Jasuto's wound. She dreaded the thought of what he would do if he found out it had been her.

"My Lord, are you all right?" Jasuto asked, generally concerned. Sesshomaru ignored him and Sakuto felt his poisonous glare alight on her back.

"You need to see this wound is treated." She stated, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as she began to make her way up to the castle. To her horror, Sesshomaru followed, walking on the other side of Jasuto. She glanced over at him and realized he was limping quite badly. She bit her lip, feeling the guilt begin to creep into your conscious at the thought that she had managed to hurt more than just his pride.

"Lord Sesshomaru, are you injured?" She asked hesitantly, trying to sound as though she really didn't care that much. He didn't answer, and she just shrugged it off dismissively, knowing that with his demon strength, any injury would heal overnight.

Sakuto continued to drag Jasuto towards the castle, pausing only at the entrance to ask where his chambers are located. He gave her a small smile as he motioned up the stairs and around the corner, while his wound continued to weep. It was not that she had cut him deeply, but that the wound was as long as half a sword blade, horizontally across his mid stomach. She quickly helped him into his chambers, which were surprisingly large, as she motioned for him to take a seat on the bed.

"There are bandages in the chest behind the door." She nodded and retrieved them with a bowl of water to clean the wound. Just as Sakuto set about cleaning and bandaging, she realized that Sesshomaru had been standing beside the door the entire time, his hard eyes watching her every movement. She swallowed nervously as she glanced at him, his expression unreadable.

"Can I help you?" She commented, raising an eyebrow. His eyes narrow dangerously and she could sense his rising anger.

"I know you are responsible."

"Excuse me?"

"You cut the branch."

"You cannot prove that."

"My lord," Jasuto interrupted. 'I do not see how Makita could have cut the branch, how would he have known you would jump onto that one branch?" Sesshomaru refused to comment, but his hardened gaze never left hers. Finally she broke eye contact as a nervous shiver raced across her skin, fearing he was staring straight through her disguise. Quickly she resumed bandaging Jasuto's middle, trying desperately to ignore Sesshomaru's searching eyes.

"Besides, what motive would I have?" She remarked in annoyance, turning back to Sesshomaru only to find that he had vanished. She bit her tongue as Jasuto motioned for her to continue her bandaging. Quickly she finished and rose to leave.

"I do not care if you did cut the branch or not, but if you know what is good for you, you will watch your back." Jasuto commented, just as she opened the door. She cast him a weak smile before gingerly closing the door, leaving him to rest.

Sakuto's mind was so preoccupied, that when she turned to leave, she walked straight into someone. She stumbled back before glancing up into the amber eyes of Sesshomaru. She bit her tongue as he growled softly, causing her to back away slowly, her eyes wide in fright.

"There is something about you, boy. I cannot tell what it is yet, but I shall find out." He hissed in warning before turning and leaving as quickly as he had appeared. Sakuto cannot help but notice his limp and quickly fought to contain her smirk of pride. Yet his words worried her deeply. She dreaded to imagine exactly what Sesshomaru is capable of, especially if he ever suspected her of being a shape shifter. He would know how to deal with her, one way or another.

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_Thank you for reading! And don't worry, Sesshomaru's revenge is quite a bit better than Sakuto's. What can I say? He has more imagination than Sakuto does _


	4. Let the Battle Begin

_NB: Just a quick note - I'm sorry it has taken me this long to update it. The painful part is the entire story is written - but is written in second person, so I have to go through it, word for word and change it. I do trust Sesshomaru's revenge will make up for my long period of absence. It was always one of my favourite's... And I do trust we all remember that Sakuto is female shape-shifting dog demon in a human male form. Just thought I'd refresh everyone's memory. Please enjoy! _

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_**The Pain Within**_

**Chapter Four: Let the Battle Begin**

Ever since Sakuto had had her revenge on Sesshomaru, making him fall flat on his face, she had completely avoided him. Yet life was still largely routine and quite dull for her, and during Jasuto's period of absence when he was resting after the 'accident', she had taken to training the men in their swordsmanship. She doubted Sesshomaru would approve, but she felt obliged since it was her fault Jasuto was injured.

The morning Jasuto was due to come back, he had everything set up for swords training, expecting to find them all lax after their break. Sakuto stood under a nearby tree, resting against the trunk as Jasuto was amazed by how much they had all improved. They automatically broke off into pairs and began training in the fashion that she had taught them while Jasuto stood back, mouth open in surprise. Instantly he turned to her,

"What has happened? Who has been training these men?" He asked, amazed. Sakuto remained silent as she watched proudly as the men continued their mock battles.

"Did Lord Sesshomaru train them?"

"No."

"One of the other officers?"

"No."

"Then who?"

The two remained silent for a moment, watching as they continued their training without the need for instruction.

"At this rate I might actually have a chance in that stupid mock battle."

"What?" Sakuto raised an eyebrow curiously.

"You'll find out." He replied with a smirk as he began pacing between the men, correcting a stance or a technique every few steps, but overall he was highly impressed. Sakuto sat under the tree and rested her head back against the rough bark, closing her eyes as the sound of the clashing of metal against metal filling her ears. Occasionally she rose to correct or demonstrate something when the sound was not quite right to her ears, but mostly she listened.

She found her mind straying back to the day Sesshomaru had fallen from that very tree, and could not but help smirk at the image.

"What are you smirking about, insolent fool?" The deep, crisp voice commanded, making her jump.

"Ah, my Lord!" Jasuto cried happily as he swept over to Sesshomaru's side. Sakuto glanced up at him nervously as he refused to break eye contact with her.

"Look at how well these new troops are doing! I might actually stand a chance against the other officers now!" Jasuto's joy was lost on her, and Sesshomaru only glanced at him before turning to the men, who were becoming increasingly anxious in the presence of Sesshomaru. He remained silent of several minutes, until,

"Yes, you might actually be able to make a stand with these ones. Unlike last time." Jasuto chuckled heartily at this.

"Who has been training them in your absence?"

"You think I am not responsible for their sudden burst of talent?"

"No, you are not. You may be a good commander and strategist, but you are a terrible instructor." Sesshomaru replied.

"Very well, I don't actually know who trained them, probably one of the other officers."

Sakuto's eyes widened slightly as Sesshomaru raised an eyebrow, clearly deep in thought as he continued watching. A terrible feeling of dread suddenly washed over her and Sakuto found herself quickly creeping away from the scene. She had doubts Sesshomaru would be thankful if he found out who had really been training the men, considering a lowly soldier taking control of a battalion of troops could quite easily be seen as treason. She continued to crawl away on all fours like a dog until a claw wrapped itself around the back of her tunic. Sakuto was slammed against the tree, knocking the breath from her lungs as Sesshomaru's familiar grip around her neck increased.

"You trained these men." He stated, matter-of-factly.

"I did." Sakuto managed to choke out, shivering nervously under his harsh glare. It seemed an eternity before he finally spoke.

"Interesting." He remarked before allowing her to fall to the ground. She rolled over and jumped to her feet, fearing Sesshomaru's wrath for breaking rank. Yet to her surprise, he merely turned and walked away.

"That could have ended badly." Jasuto remarked as Sesshomaru vanished towards the castle. "But I am amazed! You trained these men while I was recovering?"

"Well, it was my fault you were out of action." She muttered, rubbing her neck.

"It was my clumsiness, but that is not important, what _is_ important is that for the first time I actually have a chance of my men finishing higher up than last!"

"What are you talking about?" Sakuto snapped.

"Well, you know how every officer has under his command a battalion of about 50-100 men? Well, once a year we stage a mock battle where each battalion goes against one another."

"Why?" Sakuto scoffed at the ridiculous idea.

"For a variety of reasons, to boost morale, the men find it great fun to test themselves, see how you lot would go in a fight under battle conditions, and mostly so that we can decide who is to be promoted if there is an officer position available. As you know, the last officer… well… died. So we need a new commander to take his place."

"I take it this is aimed at the older troops."

"Yes, no one expects the new recruits to last long. But usually, since we keep track of the people who get out, or "killed" we tend to bet on whose group will have the most "survivors"."

"I see…" Sakuto were highly unimpressed by this pathetic show of human foolery. It seemed like such a waste of time. She picked up her sword and aimed a strike at Jasuto.

"I suppose I must participate in this… battle." She asked, not trying to keep the disdain from her voice.

"Yes, you must." He smirked as he thrust his sword towards her.

"Oh lucky me."

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Before long, the announcement was made and the date and time was set. All the men were excited, everyone that was, except Sakuto. She cared little for their excitement, knowing it would be just another excuse for these pathetic humans to try to show off their strength, a term which she used loosely. If she wasn't busy training, she was hurriedly trying to avoid Sesshomaru. She just could not be comfortable around him, not the way that she was forty years ago. Back in those days, when Sakuto was an esteemed demon lady of a powerful family and not pretending to be a weak human male fighting in a demon's army. Sesshomaru had seemed so reserved, polite but cool. He had always known how to deal with the demon aristocracy; his mannerisms and demeanor always wining him credit points. But Sakuto had never imagined this was the way he treated those beneath him. She knew she was not much better in her time, humans were weak creatures, only truly useful for destroying one another, but Sesshomaru, he seemed to walk over them as though they were nothing more than dirt on the ground. It was as though Sakuto in her human male form was hardly even worthy of breathing the same air as him. It was the kind of attitude Sakuto despised, for even though she detested humans, she still had a slight sense of awe for them, after all their race had still managed to survive this long, and would probably thrive long after the demons of the lands destroyed one another. Humans may be weak and stupid at the best of time, but they had something that demons would never understand, and that was a loyalty to each other that would withstand any amount of pressure or danger. She knew that now after spending so many months watching as their bonds grew the longer they had to train and live together. She couldn't help but show a little respect for them, even if it was just a little.

The night before the mock battle came surprisingly quickly, and most of the men turned in early. There was still the mutterings of conversation racing around the room as Sakuto tossed and turned, the day looming upon her like a dark cloud. She had no desire to spend half the day fighting a battle that would ultimately prove useless. It seemed like a complete waste of strength. Yet that was not the only thought troubling her mind, Sakuto knew that she, a powerful dog demon, would be forced to lose to a bunch of pathetic humans. That was where her respect for them ended. She was easily twice as powerful as them, and she wasn't sure if her demon pride would be able to keep her from wining over them. She could easily defeat the most mature soldier in the blink of an eye, but the fact remained, the new recruits never lasted very long. Sesshomaru already seemed to be highly suspicious of her, the last thing she needed was to draw his attention further. But the pain of defeat? Would that be less than the pain of discovery? Sakuto had to scoff at the idea. She'd rather Sesshomaru discover the truth now, rather than later after she had had her pride destroyed. It was all that she really had left.

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Slowly the sun dragged itself over the horizon as Sakuto kicked the covers from her male body and dragged herself out towards the lake for her ritual early morning laps. She stripped and jumped in, eager to fight of the thoughts of the battle that would soon eventuate. Before long her breathing was ragged and her heart was racing as she paused by the shore to have a quick break. As she inhaled deeply, a particular scent hit her nose. Sesshomaru was nearby. She fought back a groan and continued on with the laps, hoping he was not in a murderous mood this early in the day. Nearly an hour later, her muscles were aching and her stomach was growling. She knew she would be late for breakfast but she was too relieved by Sesshomaru's disappearance to care. She pulled herself onto the shoreline, her muscles quivering with the extra workout as she dropped onto her back and lazily reached for her towel. Her hand brushed over nothing but grass. Frantically Sakuto sat up, her eyes searching for her belongings only to find nothing. Her eye twitched in annoyance as she gripped a handful of grass in her fists.

"Sesshomaru!" She screamed, hearing her voice echo through the forest, reverberating off the trees before fading into the background noises. "That bastard! That damn bastard! This is his idea of revenge, huh? Oh I'll get even, I promise you Sesshomaru, I'll get even!" She muttered as she crept back through the forest, darting between trees. She was about to dash through the clearing, hoping everyone would be in the mess hall by now and nearly walked straight into the clearing filled with rows of troops, all standing at attention as the officers at the front spoke, giving a list of instructions. She could sense Sesshomaru on the opposite side of the field, pacing back and forth near the barracks with his nose to the air. She couldn't help but groan at this turn of events and began sneaking through the bush, the long way around the field so she could get to the barracks and find a change of clothing. Maybe this would work out to her advantage, perhaps she'd be able to sneak away from the battle and conveniently appear once it was all over. The thought amused her as she approached the barracks, now creeping along the trees directly in front of the lines of men, all standing at attention. She glanced to Sesshomaru, who was making no serious attempt to hide the smirk gracing his lips. Sakuto muttered a string of curses as she slowly edged past him, verging on vanishing from sight behind the barracks. It was obvious he knew she was there, but when his voice suddenly rang out silencing everyone, Sakuto felt herself grow pale.

"It is about time you decided to join us, Makita." Slowly she turned to find Sesshomaru staring straight at her, an almost playful glint in his hard gaze. "Come here." He smirked, motioning to her with the curl of his clawed finger. Sakuto's eyes widened, unable to believe what he was doing to her. She refused to move, the shock obvious on her face as Sesshomaru scowled. He growled dangerously and she knew she had little other choice but obey. Holding her head high, she stepped from the cover of the bush to stand before him. She could feel the eyes of the entire army burning over her body, trying to bite back their laughter at the sight of her naked before them. Her chest and back was covered in small scratches from the branches she had had to pass to avoid detection, and now all for nothing. Unable to contain themselves, everyone other than Sakuto and Sesshomaru were doubled over in laughter, incapable of speech for the tears that were streaming down their faces. Sesshomaru's amber eyes never once left her face, searching for her embarrassment, which she did her best to conceal. At least she had managed to chose a fit, strong and healthy body, something she could be somewhat proud to show off, regardless of the horrific situation she now found herself in.

"Now go and get dressed." He smirked, watching with a hunt of amusement in his gaze as she turned on her heels and strode straight into the barracks, out of sight of those thousands of eyes at last.

"So much for my pride and dignity." She muttered to herself as she stopped at the end of her bunk, her hands clenched into fists as she stared at the clothes lying perfectly folded on top. Beside them was a small platter containing some bread, meat and cheese, which she thankfully scoffed down as she pulled her clothes on.

With narrowed eyes, Sakuto crept back outside only to be grabbed by Jasuto the second the sunlight hit her. With surprising force he pushed her into line with the other men from his battalion and shoved a wooden sword into her hands.

"I do trust you're finished making a fool of yourself." He snapped, clearly irritated.

"It wasn't my fault!"

"I don't care, the only good thing about this is that now everyone will underestimate your abilities. Mind you, they probably would've done that anyway, you didn't really need to go prancing about in front of everyone completely naked."

"But…"

"Not another word!" He snapped and was about to leave when Sakuto grabbed his shirt and pulled him back.

"Why the hell have I got a wooden sword?"

"Because we're not stupid enough to give you real ones. This is a mock battle after all! Your not supposed to really kill anyone!" Sakuto muttered some more obscenities before being spun around and pushed towards the middle of the field. All the men had been separated into their battalions while Sakuto had been getting dressed and were positioned facing one another on the huge field. The sound of a gong echoed through her head as all around her the men began their charge.

Sakuto raced forward with the rest of her group and before long found herself surrounded by men she had never seen before. Everywhere she turned, someone was swinging at her wildly, thinking her an amateur who had probably never wielded a sword before in her life. Sakuto smirked to herself at the surprise on their faces when nearly twenty of the men that surrounded her were suddenly through to the ground. She swung her wooden sword with perfect accuracy, not bothering to waste unnecessary energy with wild swings. Practically every swing managed to hit someone, but considering how tightly everyone was packed around her, Sakuto wasn't surprised.

In half an hour the field of men had been cut in half. Sakuto was still in the middle, and managed to get some satisfaction out of the surprise on the faces of the men she confronted, all completely shocked to see the young man who had paraded before then naked still standing. But they were beginning to become wearier now. Regardless of where she turned, Sakuto could not find a single member of her group still fighting. She gulped, feeling her muscles begin to ache and a throbbing pain in her head begin as the hour dragged by.

After two hours, there were a quarter of the men still fighting. These were the hard ones, the men who were naturals with a sword in their hand and who didn't waste as much time with wild swings. But still, most of them just diving and jumped around hoping to make a hit here and there. More often then not, they missed. Sakuto never once felt the wooden blade touch her as she used her demon senses to avoid every swing that came her way. But with each new attacker she had to be extremely careful not to lose her temper and unleash any more of your demon strength than was necessary. Because of this, Sakuto found herself becoming tired faster than she would have considered normal. Holding her human male image, restraining her demon strength and fighting men from every side were quickly beginning to take its toll. But the men still fighting were clearly slowing down as well.

Only a handful remained as the battle crept into its fourth hour. Sakuto still managed to leap and dodge while attacking with ease; the other men almost fainted just watching her. Yet as she landed each time and turned to face a new opponent, she could feel the last shreds of her strength fading. The amber eyes of Sesshomaru were constantly burning into her back, and she could feel it even though she had no real idea where he was. She didn't care, all that she knew was he was just waiting, hoping she would screw up.

Finally with only two remaining soldiers, Sakuto and a large, well-muscled man, all eyes turned and everyone was holding their breaths. Sakuto's eyes narrowed, and she could see the concentration in her opponent's expression. She held her sword before her and closed her eyes. The man took it as a sign of weakness and with a smirk ran forward. With his sword held high, he went to bring it down on Sakuto's head, but froze on the spot, the sword still poised, ready to make the final blow. He looked down with surprise at the wooden blade pressed against her stomach before his gaze rose to meet hers. Sakuto watched emotionlessly as he threw the sword at her feet and bowed his head. Suddenly cheers rang out from all around and Sakuto blinked as she glanced around, clearly dazed and disorientated. Her entire body was shaking, her muscles quivering, but it was over, she had won.

"Take that Sesshomaru." She muttered to herself as she stumbled off in the direction of the lake. As she passed, hands clapped her on the back while others cheered and congratulated her, but in her exhaustion, she could hardly hear any of them. She stumbled at last into the peaceful and serene surroundings of the lake and collapsed onto the grass. She closed her eyes, drifting into a shallow sleep as she finally allowed her muscles to relax.

Yet before she could fully relax she felt someone nudge her awake once more. She reached up without much thought and wrapped her fingers around the front of the shirt of whoever was bothering her. Slowly Sakuto opened her eyes.

"What do you want, Jasuto?" Her tone was as emotionless as Sesshomaru's.

"Lord Sesshomaru wishes to see you." He answered hesitantly, clearly caught off-guard by her harsh glare.

"He can wait." She snarled, pushing Jasuto away and closing her eyes once more.

"No he can't, now get the hell up!" He snapped as he straightened his clothes out and grabbed her arm, dragging her to her feet.

"But I'm tired!" She groaned, pulling herself free as he legs threatened to give way underneath her.

"I can imagine, but you should have seen the faces of the other officers! They were green!" He cried joyfully.

"Must I go now? I just fought for four hours straight!"

"Yes! Now come on! The sooner you get this over with, the sooner you can rest." And with that, Jasuto dragged Sakuto off towards the castle.


	5. More Than Meets the Eye

_NB: Two updates at once. Be proud. And I'm currently working on the next chapter as well. Enjoy the updates while they last! _

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**The Pain Within**

**Chapter Five: More Than Meets the Eye.**

Jasuto dragged Sakuto towards the castle, ignoring her random mutterings the entire way. The remainder of men had the afternoon off to either rest or recover from the splinters they had received in battle, so there were plenty of people around to offer her a congratulations, or death glare her. Sakuto appeared to have the kind of skills that could be either admired or despised for. She shrugged it off, either way as she entered the shadow of the castle.

Sakuto stumbled along in a daze, allowing Jasuto to guide her through the belly of the castle and up a series of flights of stairs and along long corridors. As she finally looked up, her gaze focused on a large wooden door standing right before her. Jasuto paused and glanced to her,

"Are you ready?"

"I'll never be ready." She muttered in reply.

"Good!" He cried cheerfully before knocking and waiting.

"Enter." Sesshomaru's reply rung clearly through the door and Jasuto did not hesitate to slide it open and drag Sakuto inside.

Sesshomaru sat before a large desk that was scattered with parchment, quills and pots of ink. Behind him was a series of shelves heavily lined with leather bound books of various sizes. There was a pile of books on the desk to one side, the covers not quite as dusty as the rest of the room appeared to be. Sesshomaru never looked up once as Jasuto bowed and forcibly pushed Sakuto into the chair opposite Sesshomaru. She could only sigh, thankful to get her weight off her feet as she tried to force her sore, tired muscles to relax, yet being confined in a small room with Sesshomaru was hardly a relaxing concept. Every time he so much as moved a muscle, Sakuto felt her body tense, as though expecting him to do something to her. She tried to shake off her sense of dread, but it only seemed to intensify. She couldn't understand why she felt so much fear and dread around him, this was certainly not how it had been between the two when she had been with her family. For a split second she entertained the thought of revealing herself to him, but why? What would it prove? It would only be a matter of time before whoever wanted her dead would find her. She shook the thought off, dismissing it entirely, not wishing to endanger anyone other than herself. Sakuto settled with remaining on her guard, knowing that any mistake could cost her life, at either Sesshomaru's hands or the unseen force pursuing her. There was more to this picture than met the eye, and she had to remain alert.

It was only as the door was slid shut did Sakuto realize that Jasuto had left and she was completely and utterly alone with Sesshomaru. As she glanced back at the door, she felt the inextricable desire to leap up and bolt from the room before Sesshomaru could do anything. Yet even with her demon speed, she doubted she could outrun him. She shivered at the thought and turned her gaze back to Sesshomaru only to find he head ceased reading his document and was watching her. She had to bite back a cry of surprise as his amber eyes burned straight through her.

"It is ritual that the victor be promoted to the rank of officer if the position is available." He paused to study the young man before him. Several minutes seemed to pass before he finally continued after making Sakuto squirm under his gaze. "You have received nothing but the highest praise from Jasuto, and most of the others believe your skills would be an asset." He stopped and rose before walking over to the window to stare out into the clear sapphire sky, speckled white with small, fluffy clouds. His eyes seemed to become distanced, as though his mind was elsewhere. Without warning his gaze seemed to darken and he dropped his gaze to the forest beneath the window.

"Yet I find myself hesitant to appoint you an officer, tell me, why is that?" Sakuto could do little but stare at him, not sure of what he expected. "I don't trust you." He added, glancing to her out of the corner of his eye.

"Why would you trust me? I am a human after all. Great demon lords such as yourself trust no one, least of all a human." She scoffed with a little more sarcasm than she intended.

"I don't believe you are human." He kept watching out of the corner of his eye, his voice steady and calm.

"What do you mean? Of course I'm human! Why wouldn't I be?" Her voice was verging on shrill and she struggled to remain calm.

"You're too strong to be a human." He turned to her, his gaze narrowed.

"Oh so that's it! You're threatened by the fact a human can be strong! You're just in denial! I am human, accept it!" Sakuto felt her eyes darting around the room, doing everything in her power not to have to look into his cool, amber eyes.

"Then where did you gain such impressive skills, for a human?" Sakuto paused to chew her lip nervously under Sesshomaru's shrewd glare. "Well?"

"That is something I see no reason to tell you." She snarled, knowing it was the last thing he wanted to hear. Well, one of the last.

"You dare refuse me?" He replied, almost daring her to continue. She could only bite her tongue and swallow the words of rage threatening to spill forth. The look of pure venom in Sesshomaru's eyes told her it would be a dangerous thing indeed to speak right now.

"Why should I make you an officer?" He questioned with surprising calm in his emotionless tone.

"Easy. You shouldn't. I couldn't care less." She remarked before leaping to her feet and heading for the door. She expected to have Sesshomaru appear before her and strike her, but he didn't move from his place beside the window, even though his eyes were burning into her back as she slid the door closed behind her.

She stormed back through the corridor, her teeth clenched as she muttered to herself.

"What business is it of his? Why should I tell him anything when he can't even ask nicely?" Sakuto was seething as she pictured his harsh amber glare in her minds eye and wished for nothing more than to wipe the smug look from his face. She sighed at last, her rage slowly evaporating as the realization slowly dawned on her. He couldn't help but question her; it was obvious there was something different about this young man who had practically appeared over night. Something inhuman. As she wandered down a flight of stairs she entertained the notion of leaving before this got out of hand and Sesshomaru did discover the truth.

"If it gets any worse, if his suspicion doesn't die soon, I'll leave." She told herself, doubting he'd probably recognize her anyway, and wasn't even sure if he did have anything to do with her family's demise. He probably didn't, but she didn't see the point in stirring up a past Sesshomaru had clearly forgotten.

As Sakuto's thoughts returned to the present, she cursed as she realized she was completely lost. With a frustrated sigh she tried to sniff out Jasuto's scent, but found too many human scents to narrow it down to the path he took to get out. He was outside now, she could sense him on the other side of the wall she was standing beside, but didn't think Sesshomaru would appreciate it if she made an alternate exit though the wall. She groaned in frustration, getting ready to bash her head against the wall when a little servant girl walked around the corner and gave a strangled cry at the sight of this ragged young man leaning against a wall looking rather murderous. She nearly dropped the pail of water she was carrying when Sakuto turned her gaze to meet hers.

"Oh jeez, this is embarrassing, but I'm lost." She muttered sheepishly. The girl smiled as she put the pail down and walked forward.

"That's ok, you just scared me, that's all." She grabbed Sakuto's arm and pulled her along the corridor and around a few bends, never ceasing her idle chatter.

"My name is Emiko, what's yours?"

"Uh… Makita."

"You're a soldier aren't you? What are you doing wandering around the castle?"

"Well…" She didn't bother waiting for an answer as she prattled on about nothing special. Sakuto stopped listening, too busy thanking the heavens that she hadn't transformed into a woman when those men had come across her in the forest. This was the kind of idle chatter was enough to drive anyone crazy!

The sunlight blinded her as she found herself standing on the top of the steps, Emiko still hanging onto her arm unnecessarily.

"Well, thank you, Emiko." She gave the girl a strained smile just as Jasuto caught sight of them.

"Will I get to see you again, Makita?" She asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes playfully. Sakuto's eyes widened with shock and disgust as the girl hugged her arm tighter just as Jasuto mounted the stairs.

"What's this? Has our new officer found a girlfriend already?" He teased as the girl blushed a bright red.

"The new officer! Oh my! I'm so sorry, my lord!" She cried, hastily bowing.

"I'm not the new officer." Sakuto snarled in reply and stalked off down the stairs.

"What? What happened?" Jasuto gasped, not hesitating to follow as the trembling young girl quickly wandered back inside.

"Sesshomaru doesn't trust me, and I refuse the position."

"You can't!" He cried, just as the other eight officers cut her off.

"Well, boy, your strength and stamina is highly impressive. Come here and show us something." One of them remarked slyly as he shoved a bow and arrow into her hands and pulled her onto a marked spot at one end of the field, the wall of the castle behind them.

"You see that tree with the red target on it across the field?"

"Yes…" Sakuto had to squint to see it.

"Watch." He notched an arrow and drew the string back. He aimed carefully and let the arrow fly. It sailed across the field and hit the target, just off center. Sakuto only glanced at the man with a raised eyebrow as he motioned for her to give it a try. She shrugged, clearly not having much choice in the matter. She grew back the arrow and smirked as it flew from her grasp. The thud of the arrow hitting the target echoed across the field as all eyes turned to her in amazement. The arrow was dead center.

"Looks like you lose, Ikasu!" The others laughed, thumping him on the back as he scowled and sidled off to the side.

"Right! A race around the castle, starting now!" Another yelled and raced off. It took Sakuto a moment to digest his command with a sigh took off after him. As she ran a few meters behind him, he threw comments back to her, remarking about her lack of style and heavy breathing. Finally they rounded the last corner and her patience snapped. She sprinted past him, catching him completely by surprise. He yelled out and tried to make up the lost ground, but to no avail. As Sakuto reached the other men she stopped and collapsed against the castle wall panting. The men surrounded her, trying to hide how impressed they really were.

"Well let's see him up close with a real sword." Jasuto only smiled at this suggestion and happily tossed her favorite sword at Sakuto's feet. She groaned as she grabbed it and rose slightly unsteadily.

"Ready yourself, boy." Another smiled coldly before lunging. Sakuto blocked his string of attacks, not having the strength to attack him herself. Instead she contented herself with blocking and searching for a weakness. Before long she found it, his sword was too heavy for him and he struggled slightly to regain control after a swing. With a smirk, she waited until he made another lung, which she easily dodged. As he struggled to lift it once more, she dropped and spun, kicking his legs out from underneath him. He was sent crashing to the ground and Sakuto stood over him, her sword blade pressed to his neck.

"Unbelievable!"

"He just defeated our best swordsman!"

"Your best?" Sakuto smirked as she stepped back, allowing the others to help their friend to his feet. "If he was your best, this army is doomed." She sneered, too exhausted to care that she had just insulted not only all those standing before her, but Sesshomaru as well. That was, she didn't care, until she caught Sesshomaru's scent from behind her and spun just in time to block Sesshomaru's sword, which had been aimed at her head. The metal clanged together, sending Sakuto stumbling back with surprise. Sesshomaru pushed down on the sword with surprising force, giving Sakuto an extremely difficult time holding him back. She flinched, her muscles quivering with pain as she stared into his amber eyes helplessly before collapsing to one knee. He released the pressure, raising his sword over his head and bringing it down in one swift motion. He wasn't using his demon speed, hinting that he had no intention of killing her; else she would probably have been dead by now. She managed to roll out of his way, the sword embedding itself in the ground as Sakuto kicked his legs out from underneath him. As he fell, Sakuto leapt up, pointing the sword at his throat just as she felt the prick of a sword at her chest. She froze, muscles still quivering painfully as the scene slowly digested itself in her mind. Sesshomaru lay beneath her, studying her wide eyes suspiciously as she quickly jumped back, allowing the sword to slip from her fingers.

Sakuto strangled back a cry as she dropped to her knees before Sesshomaru as he rose and dusted himself off. She could feel herself shaking in fear and exhaustion.

"You _will_ be the new officer." He stated simply before turning and vanishing into the forest. To her disgust he did not go far. In fact, he was standing just within the line of trees, watching. Sakuto groaned and fell forward, resting on her hands as her muscles began to seize up.

"Incredible! I've never seen such stamina!"

"I've never seen anyone take such a beating and still be conscious!" Their comments brushed over her as she hung her head, panting and shaking. For a demon suppressing her true powers, this was too much. One more movement and she knew she's be unable to maintain her human form. With her remaining strength she rocked her weight back onto her knees and sat back to glare at the men surrounding her.

"Come on Makita, let's get you to bed. You really need to get some rest after all this." Jasuto and another man helped pull Sakuto to her feet and supported her as they dragged her inside and up a flight of stairs. She felt a soft mattress press against her back and before another word could pass her lips, she had slipped into a deep, dreamless sleep.

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Sakuto slept for an entire day, none daring to disturb her. One the second morning she woke surprisingly early, when the sun was just barely peeking over the horizon and dragged herself from the bed. She froze a moment, recalling everything that had happened and didn't need to be told that she'd slept for an extremely long period of time. Her eyes darted around the room, simplistic but comfortable before landing on some folded clothes and a towel. She grabbed them, knowing that if she didn't work her muscles, they'd seize up once more.

As the lake came into view, Sakuto couldn't help but stare, slightly confused as she watched the ripples pass over the lakes surface, trying to comprehend why they were there. Gradually it dawned on her that someone else was in the lake. She shrugged, caring little as she shed her clothing and dived into the biting cold water. Sakuto started slow, easing her muscles into a rhythm before eventually picking up the pace. Unable to shake the feeling of eyes on her, she paused at the shore to catch her breath and allow her eyes to roam the now calm, quiet surface of the lake. As she turned her head, she found herself staring into the cold, amber gaze of Sesshomaru. Biting back a cry of surprise, she sighed and muttered,

"Sorry, didn't realize you were here."

"Are you related to a demon?" He asked simply.

"Good morning to you too." She remarked dryly as he growled, still waiting for a reply. She paused, dwelling over the question before answering,

"I am." Sakuto stated calmly, finding this to be the simplest way out of a possibly difficult situation.

"Are you aware that you were capable of wielding a sword made from the fang of a demon?" This question caught Sakuto completely off guard. If she had been wielding such a sword, she would have to have demon blood flowing through her veins. She felt like sighing with relief for her previous answer.

"My mother… was a half demon." She whispered, unable to look him in the eye lest he see through the lie.

"She must have been powerful indeed to be able to wield my sword. Most full blooded demons cannot even hold it." Sakuto swallowed nervously, feeling his gaze staring straight through her.

"My family… has been dead for years." She stared into the gently rippling water, knowing this part wasn't a lie.

"A quarter demon." He seemed to be speaking more to himself. "You did not belong to the village that the other men came from, so why are you here?"

"I have nowhere else to go. When my family was killed before my eyes, I took to wandering the lands, searching for a purpose to my life."

"Have you found one?" He asked, cocking his head slightly, almost curiously.

"I believe I have." She half smiled to herself before turning her gaze to him. His expression remained unchanged. Sakuto realized what she said was the truth. If she were to stay here, she would have found purpose. She would no longer have to wander from village to village in order to protect her identity. Even though the longer she stayed her, the more likely Sesshomaru was to find out her true identity, it was a risk she was willing to take. It was like she would be able to regain a part of her old life. This way, she'd have to work in close proximity to Sesshomaru, almost like the old times. Such a thought brought a smile to her face. She may have only seen him a couple times a year, but as the years had passed, these visits used to become more frequent. He had been on good terms with her parents, they trusted him and held a deep respect for him. Sakuto blinked to herself and realized for the first time since she had arrived, she felt partially comfortable in his presence.

Sesshomaru pulled himself from the water and shook himself off before dressing. His body was as toned and muscular as usual, perhaps even more so. She smirked to herself and quickly pushed the thought aside when she realized he was staring at her.

"Report to Jasuto after breakfast. He will be leaving in a few days, so learn your duties quickly. You are to take over your old group." Sakuto nodded in understanding. "I'm not impressed that you lied to me. You said you weren't demon."

"Well, it's not exactly like you are compassionate to those who aren't full demon. Well, in my experience you aren't compassionate to anyone, except maybe that human child of yours." He glared at her but remained silent. He turned to leave, but hesitated, as though there was something else he wished to say. He slowly turned back, something different about his gaze as he held her sapphire gaze.

"You seem… different." He cocked his head once more before shaking it slightly as though disgusted with himself for admitting such a thing and vanished into the forest.

* * *

_If you're wondering - Sakuto gets her revenge in the next chapter. Hehehe... Thanks for reading!_


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